Sections

Tagged: yves cote

The Crown filed notice Monday that it will seek to lock up Michael Sona for longer than nine months for his role in a robocall that sent hundreds of opposition supporters to the wrong polling station in Guelph, Ont.

Elections Canada has issued a report on its investigation into deceptive calls in the last election, concluding that “the evidence gathered in the investigation does not lend support to the existence of a conspiracy or conspiracies to interfere with the voting process.

OTTAWA — The Commissioner of Canada Elections, Yves Cote, has concluded after an investigation into robocalls during the last federal election that there are insufficient grounds to believe an offence was committed or that charges should be laid.

Canada’s top elections cop came out strongly Tuesday against the Conservatives’ proposed elections act, warning that a proposed restructuring would have him reporting to prosecutors who ultimately report to the government.

A clause muzzling investigators in the Conservatives’ new election act could prevent Elections Canada from ever reporting on the outcome of its investigation into fraudulent and deceptive calls in the 2011 campaign, says a former lawyer for Elections Canada.

The official who enforces Canadian election law said Tuesday the government must give investigators the power to compel testimony if they are to properly investigate election crimes like the deceptive phone calls widely reported in the 2011 election.

One year after Canadians first learned of an active Elections Canada investigation into misleading robocalls, the Commissioner of Canada Elections says the probe is making “significant progress” and remains his highest priority.